People are willing to pay for same-day delivery of gifts and big-ticket tech items. BI Intelligence

Same-day delivery is an area of intense competition in e-commerce. In the past, the idea of powering instant gratification seemed too expensive and complex.

But new consumer needs, behaviors, and expectations are changing the equation. E-commerce companies believe they can finally persuade customers to pay a fair price for virtually instant delivery, which bypasses traditional logistics channels.

In a new report, BI Intelligence takes an exhaustive look at the same-day delivery market, sizing the percentage of people who will purchase goods to be delivered the same-day this year. We uncover the demographics of same-day delivery customers, the markets where these services have the best chance of taking off, and assess how each of the many new same-day delivery entrants compares to the others.

Here are some of the key insights as to why consumers are ready for a same-day delivery market:

The top reason people select same-day delivery is time constraint. More than 50% of US consumers said it's because they need a last-minute gift, according to Boston Consulting Group.

In general, same-day delivery is important to gift shoppers: More than 40% of consumers said they would abandon an online shopping cart if they couldn't have gifts or flowers delivered the same day, according to a 2013 Bizrate survey.

Convenience is still a significant reason people use same-day delivery. Thirty percent of consumers said they would select the option simply if they didn't feel like going to a store.

Bulky products not easily carried home from a store are popular for same-day: Nearly 60% of US consumers said they would be willing to pay more than $10 to have furniture delivered the same day. Large appliances were a close second. These results indicate there are certain types of orders where convenience outweighs the added cost of quick delivery.

In full, the report:

Estimates the market for same-day delivery from 2013-2018, including the percentage of people who will use these services and the total sales volume

Looks at the most likely same-day delivery customers and demographics and the cities where these individuals are concentrated

Unpacks the kinds of goods people are likeliest to order for same-day delivery

Lays out how the different same-day delivery services stack up against each other in terms of prices, location, and selection

Considers the barriers that could keep same-day delivery from ever becoming a mainstream preference among consumers

Identifies the technology that could make same-day delivery cost-effective and commonplace

Interested in getting the full report? Here are two ways to access it:

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